macOS 10.15 Said to Feature 'Luna Display-Like' Desktop Extension Functionality

[MacRumors]

macOS 10.15 will have a new feature that allows users to send any window of any app to an external display, according to 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo. The external display can supposedly be a monitor connected to the Mac or even an iPad.

Luna Display​

The report claims this functionality will be accessible via a new menu that can be opened by hovering over the green "maximize" button in a Mac app window for a split second. The menu is expected to provide options for making windows full-screen, tiling windows, and moving windows to external displays.

The feature, codenamed "Sidecar," is said to be similar to the Luna Display hardware solution that turns an iPad into a second display for the Mac.

Users with an iPad that supports Apple Pencil will be able to draw with the Pencil when the iPad is being used as an external display for the Mac, effectively "turning the iPad into a Wacom-like tablet," according to the report.

The report claims Apple is also working on options that will allow windows to be easily snapped to one side of the screen.

Article Link: macOS 10.15 Said to Feature 'Luna Display-Like' Desktop Extension Functionality

 

[4487549]

Sounds more like a complete ripoff of Moom

 

[thornslack]

Maybe I finally won’t need to install better touch tool on a Mac if they add snapping.

 

[The Samurai]

Great, because this was a priority.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Awesome! Can’t wait for these features to be added.

 

[critter13]

as long as this doesn't require brand new iPads it could help breathe some life into older ones. great codename btw, "sidecar", nailed it.

 

[realeric]

“Virtualization software for iOS to run macOS(Intel x64 arch) on iPhone via hdmi output over USB-C and bluetooth keyboard”.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Sounds more like a complete ripoff of Moom

Moom doesn’t support using iPad as a display or using the Pencil like a Wacom, but yeah the snapping and window manipulation, etc. But Moom allows saving layouts and keyboard controls and a bunch of other features Apple is unlikely to support.

 

[djlythium]

Maybe I finally won’t need to install better touch tool on a Mac if they add snapping.

As much as I love BTT, if those features are built in to macOS, it’ll go the path of F.Lux.

 

[PickUrPoison]

as long as this doesn't require brand new iPads it could help breathe some life into older ones. great codename btw, "sidecar", nailed it.

It wouldn’t require new iPads. Yeah good codename; I wonder if they’ll keep that.

 

[uajafd]

I just can see Luna Display yanked from the App Store for "duplicating the core functionality" in 3... 2... 1...

 

[EvilEvil]

Finally a useful feature from Apple!

 

[metalsiren]

this would be something nice I would love to try out. never tried the 3rd parties as I didn't want to pay for the feature as I don't think I would use it as much.

 

[cmaier]

There are also indications (stroughton smith) that you’ll be able to combine with handoff-like functionality. In other words, when working with an app on the mac, send it to your iPad, and it can actually launch the ipad version of the app and populate it with the app state so you can keep working on your ipad without being anywhere near the mac. With marzipan, many ipad apps will be identical code to their mac versions, which will make this much easier for developers to support.

 

[PickUrPoison]

As much as I love BTT, if those features are built in to macOS, it’ll go the path of F.Lux.

Maybe BetterSnapTool will, but BTT also has all the TouchBar and mouse/trackpad/keyboard customizations so I think it’ll still be around.

 

[Jamers99]

So what technology is this using? Bluetooth or Wi-Fi?

 

[blackcrayon]

So what technology is this using? Bluetooth or Wi-Fi?

Possibly bluetooth for discovery but definitely wifi for actual data transfer (assuming it even has a wireless mode).

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Awesome! Can’t wait for these features to be added.

This sounds bad ass but imagine is you could send an app to the iPad display and use the iPad like a Cintiq.

 

[FFR]

That looks great, can’t wait for the update.

 

[djcerla]

This is fantastic news!

 

[DNichter]

Pretty interesting, further blurring the lines between the iPad and a Mac. I wonder if they will add a menu bar/mouse support to the iPad through some sort of handoff from your Mac, or do they need to have touch controls built in. Lots of questions, but I can see the end goal that Apple wants to get to. One app store with support across iOS and macOS.

 

[PickUrPoison]

This sounds bad ass but imagine is you could send an app to the iPad display and use the iPad like a Cintiq.

FTA:

Users with an iPad that supports Apple Pencil will be able to draw with the Pencil when the iPad is being used as an external display for the Mac, effectively "turning the iPad into a Wacom-like tablet," according to the report.

 

[blindzero]

Having the iPad as an external display was a requested feature since the very first one. It was one of the reasons I bought one as people speculated it would be added relatively quickly.

Crazy it took this long to officially do it, and now with Pencil support I might finally buy a new one.

 

[revs]

I use Duet Display, but I use it with an iPad 2 that runs whatever old version of iOS, so assuming that wont work with this - but duet display has been great (and works on windows)

 

[Nuno Lopes]

Been waiting for this. It makes a lot of sense to "send/share" an macOS app to/with the iPad to use the pencil and other stuff. It really does.